Royal Bolton Hospital experience rise in attacks on staff

The figures were released as Bolton NHS Foundation Trust launches a new campaign to highlight the increasing incidents of abuse directed at its staff.

The trust has launched its ‘no excuse for abuse’ campaign.

Figures from the trust reveal that between 2018 and 2022 there were more than 3,500 recorded incidents of aggression, including physical assault and verbal abuse, with the frequency of assaults increasing by more than 20 per cent in that time.

In the first two months of this year, 111 incidents of violence and aggression have already been reported.

Trust deputy chief executive James Mawrey said: “We will never tolerate abusive behaviour of any sort towards our staff who work incredibly hard every single day to make a difference to the lives of so many people.

The NHS in Bolton has faced significant pressures in recent years (Image: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust)

“The pandemic was an important reminder of how much people value the work of NHS staff, so it astonishes me that a small minority of people think it’s acceptable to treat our workers with such disrespect.

“We understand that at times patients might become frustrated, particularly whilst so many of our services are so busy, but please always show our staff the kindness and the respect they deserve.

“Our workers are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends, who mean the world to their nearest and dearest, so please think about how you would want a member of your own family to be treated when they’re at work.”

The frequency of assaults aimed at NHS staff in Bolton also increased by more than 20 per cent between 2018 and 2022.

The new campaign aims to tackle this by reminding the public that all such incidents will be reported and taken seriously.

Staff will also share messages featuring some of their children with straplines such as ‘my mummy works here’ to remind people of the human cost of aggressive and violent behaviour.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust is also introducing a violence and aggression reduction group which will focus on keeping staff safe at work, reducing the number of violent or aggressive attacks, and increasing uptake in training programmes.

Facilities manager at iFM Bolton Ltd Damien Holden said he hoped this would have a real impact for frontline staff.

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He said: “Physical and verbal abuse and intimidating behaviour can have a long-lasting impact on individuals.

“Our new Violence and Aggression Reduction (VAR) working group will play a key role in reducing incidents, preventing incidents escalating and providing vital guidance and support to staff.

“Anyone can pledge their support to the campaign by using pledge #NoExcuseForAbuse on social media.”